For some high school kids, figuring out a plan after senior years is as simple as apply to college and go, or start looking for a job.
But plenty of teenagers are facing issues a lot of adults would struggle with, financial and family pressures that make just gettingtograduation tough鈥攍et alone, looking ahead.
James Stevens and Remi Greathouse have been friends since they started high school at Ponitz Career Technology Center. As part of our American Graduate series, 鈥淲hat鈥檚 Next鈥�, they talked in a studio at Ponitz, where they鈥檙e both students in the broadcast program. Remi is 17, James 18, and they both talk about their childhoods in past tense.
鈥淢y home life wasn鈥檛 so stable,鈥� says Remi. She grew up with a single mom who moved between jobs often, and struggled with depression. 鈥淓ven getting to school was hard. I have three younger siblings under me so I have a lot of responsibility.鈥�
James grew up in a household with a lot of domestic violence, and as a teenager he cared for his three younger siblings. He says his dad got addicted to heroin when the other kids were still little.
鈥淚 had to basically take the role of the father of the house at age 16,鈥� he says.
Both of them spend more of their time worrying about family members than themselves.
鈥淢y stress was making sure [my mom] was okay, and that she knew I was there for her no matter what,鈥� says Remi.
James has moved from home to home and now lives with another family. And, he鈥檚 been completing his credits for high school on schedule, but they both say, the support in school just isn鈥檛 always there鈥攂ecause the things stressing them out aren鈥檛 grades, or even financial aid or jobs.
鈥淥ne of the biggest problems with stress was me having to come to school every day and worry about whether my mom or my dad would be in jail when I got home, or dealing with a possible overdose or something for my dad,鈥� says James.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e walking into something...you don鈥檛 even know if you鈥檙e going to be able to handle yourself, your mental stability,鈥� says Remi. 鈥淎nd not only your mental stability but furthering your education. I think a lot of teachers don鈥檛 realize that either. They believe that well, if you鈥檙e not here, you鈥檙e just not here, you鈥檙e not going to get any help. They don鈥檛 ask to see, well, what鈥檚 in your background, are you okay at home...Some people actually do need help.鈥�
Of course, some teachers do see this, and do try to help, and Dayton Public Schools says they鈥檙e aware of the issues.
David Lawrence, the chief of school innovation for the district, says when they scratch below the surface for a lot of students, 鈥渨e start to hear about divorce, we start to hear about displacement, we start to hear about homelessness.鈥�
But the reality is right now, to get support, 鈥渢he students are grabbing whoever will listen now. And a lot of times, in most cases that ends up being at the high school level the counselors, and then across the board, especially at the elementary school, it ends up being the principal.鈥�
Teachers and counselors don鈥檛 necessarily have time, or any training in social work, casework or mental health interventions, so some kids do fall through the cracks. Lawrence is pushing to get a social worker in every school as part of an effort towards what they call wraparound services, where the school helps address everything from mental health and drug abuse to homelessness among students and their families.
鈥淪chools can鈥檛 be fixed by school,鈥� he says. In other words, he thinks these wraparound services need to be an effort from the whole community including businesses, government, parks, and so on.
It鈥檚 a big vision with urgent consequences. 94 percent of students in Dayton Public Schools are living in poverty, which increases the likelihood that they have similar home stresses as James and Remi at Ponitz.
These two say they are headed towards graduation. They鈥檝e both had family members step up and offer to cover their senior year fees and cap and gown. And they鈥檙e both hoping to go to Sinclair, and eventually get degrees in mass communications.
Moreover, they say their situations aren鈥檛 unusual.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think we鈥檙e the only ones going through it,鈥� says Remi.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of people out there going through the same things we鈥檙e going through,鈥� says James. He says that鈥檚 another reason to make it to graduation and stay focused on what鈥檚 next. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 just how it is. That鈥檚 another reason for us to learn from it.鈥�
Thanks to Joanne Viskup and the media arts program at Ponitz Career Technology Center, a Dayton public school, for their help with this series. What's Next is a WYSO series produced in partnership with. It's part of the public media initiative, which is funded by the.
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